Updates

A message from Kim Brooks, President and Vice-Chancellor

On Monday and Tuesday this week, nearly 17 hours of bargaining took place between the teams representing the Dalhousie Board of Governors and the Dalhousie Faculty Association. These negotiations concluded without an agreement. At the request of the conciliator, both sides agreed not to share any of the discussions that took place at our conciliation sessions.

We know this was disheartening news to receive. We see, hear, and feel the frustration of our community. All sides appreciate time is of the essence.

New settlement offer shared today

This afternoon, we provided the DFA leadership with a new offer for its bargaining team to consider and encouraged them to bring it to the DFA membership.

In our final communication before the lockout, I made clear a 2%/2%/2% proposal on compensation was what the Board could offer. This new proposal represents an increase on that earlier offer and includes additional financial non-compensation items that we hope address some of the concerns articulated by the DFA. The new offer, therefore, has an increased cost. It will require additional trade-offs and difficult conversations across the university as we work towards a balanced budget.

It’s understandable, in any negotiation, that one party may feel that holding out longer is going to lead to a better outcome. In our circumstance, doing so only increases the impact on our students—and that will be our collective failure.

Preparing for return to work and classes

We are beginning to prepare for a return to work for faculty and a return to class for our faculty and students. Although we do not yet have a deal, we want to do what we can to ensure fall term classes can resume as swiftly and reasonably as possible once an agreement is reached.

• Effective this evening, we will begin restoring DFA members’ access to their dal.ca email accounts. Faculty should begin to regain access tonight (Wednesday) and continuing into Thursday. The lockout and defensive strike remain and faculty are not permitted to work. Our intention is to ensure we’ve done what we can to facilitate a quick return when a deal is reached.
  
  
• We will also begin communicating with students about how fall term dates might change in a return to classes, so they can start to prepare. You can read this update here.

Challenging decisions in difficult times

We have been consistent in providing updates on and information about Dalhousie’s challenging financial situation throughout the past year. Our revenue model has changed — a shift that happened unexpectedly and rapidly as a result of policy changes related to international students introduced by the federal government. Just four years ago, one in four of our students was an international student; last year, it was close to one in six.

We are also grappling with the consequences of a slower and longer trend: the long-term decline, in real dollars, of our government funding. Adding to this trend, last year our provincial funding was frozen; this year, provincial funding was increased by 2% but Nova Scotia tuition rates were frozen. We extended that freeze to other Canadian students.

Added to these headwinds are affordability concerns for students and families as well as employees; new and significant regulatory requirements and reporting; and the need to ensure we demonstrate our value to the public and to a provincial and federal government, each of which is facing its own financial headwinds.

Read also: Addressing Dalhousie's budget: Arena, surplus and more — a message from Gitta Kulczycki, Vice-President Finance and Administration

There will be considerable work ahead to rise to those challenges. I am hopeful we can welcome DFA members back to classrooms and research spaces across campus shortly. We need their energy and insight on these tough problems.

Many members of our community have reached out to communicate their frustration and disappointment. We all care deeply about this institution. There is much for us to do together—most importantly and urgently, turning our full attention to our students and their learning and discovery.

Kim Brooks,
President and Vice-Chancellor
Dalhousie University